Despite all the rumours of Brent Sutter going to work for his brother in Calgary, Jim Matheson has made a rather bold statement: “Sutter will not be joining brother Darryl in Calgary.” Matheson knows what he’s talking about, I’m sure, and when he says this I’m convinced. He also gets a quote on Brent Sutter’s connection to Edmonton:

“I heard all these rumours with Edmonton, too, before they hired their staff. All the speculation because it’s an hour and 15 minutes from my farm. I had nothing to do with the Edmonton Oilers.”

And speaking of the Sutter family, Pat Quinn made a comment the other day that just begs for tildes. Here’s what Quinn said:

"They'll have someone new in here whether it may be a Sutter coming back in, I don't know that. They're a wonderful family and a big family, so maybe they'll put all seven back there."

And here it is again, with a minor fix:

~They'll have someone new in here whether it may be a Sutter coming back in, I don't know that. They're a wonderful family and a big family, so maybe they'll put all seven back there.~

Better, yes?

With the NHL Entry Draft coming up, there are a lot of unheralded prospects who are about to be thrust into the spotlight. There are, fortunately people who follow junior hockey and are willing to tell us things; if anyone’s interested there are two sites I’d recommend:

NHL Draft Notes is written by Red Line Report’s Michael Remmerde. He’s based out of Western Canada and is in the process of doing profiles on 60 draft-eligible players in the region.

OHL Prospects is a group blog which gets contributions from a pair of former Hockey’s Future writers and a fan, all three of whom follow the Ontario Hockey League closely.

Jonathan Willis is a freelance writer.
He currently works for Oilers Nation, Sportsnet and Bleacher Report.
He's co-written three books and worked for myriad websites, including the Edmonton Journal, Grantland, ESPN, The Score, and Hockey Prospectus. He was previously the founder and managing editor of Copper & Blue.

Nilsson has a better +- so is he really that much worse defensively than O'Sullivan.

Last year O'Sullivan averaged 19:08 of icetime, and Nilsson had 15:11, with O'Sullivan getting :30 more a game on the PP and 1:00 more of 5-on-5.

In 2007/2008 Nilsson averaged 13:55 per game with 2:16 on the PP, while O'Sullivan had 18:42 per game with 2:25 on the PP.

O'Sullivan played 82 games and had 22 goals and 31 assists. Nilsson played 71 and had 10 goals and 31 assists.

O'Sullivan is a better goal scorer, but also got 2:30 more five on five icetime per game. Which is equal to three full games and a period of extra ice time. He should score more.

I'm not a huge fan of either right now. To me both need to be more consistent, but O'Sullivan's numbers aren't that dominant compared to Nilsson. O'Sullivan is better all-around, but I think Nilsson will be the biggest benefactor of the new coaching regime. Mostly because he will be more dedicated, which makes Quinn's job that much easier.

If he gets dealt for Heatley I don't think that is giving up on him, rather it means he has some value. I agree his 20 games with the Oilers were not a true reflection of his ability, and I think Nilsson getting a clean slate with Quinn will automatically make him better.

Nilsson has a better +- so is he really that much worse defensively than O’Sullivan.

You mentioned that O'Sullivan is better all-round, so I'm guessing that you're mostly playing Devil's advocate here. Nilsson's +/- may be better, but he's certainly had an easier role to play than O'Sullivan; plus O'Sullivan plays the PK.Jason Gregor wrote:

If he gets dealt for Heatley I don’t think that is giving up on him, rather it means he has some value.

And I agree here, too. I would move O'Sullivan. I just suspect that most Oilers' fans don't give him due credit.

Little known fact. The un-cropped picture from this article shows that the Hyena was actually looking at Dustin Penner, who took a wrong turn in Millwoods while looking for a good late night Donair place. True story.

The most we can hope for from Nillson or Patty O is a trade piece that helps land the oil something worth while. Neither one of them is the answer to the problem

I don't think this is anywhere close to the truth - with a new coaching staff, we have no idea what to expect from Nillson, O'Sullivan, or Penner for that matter. I'm expecting that Quinn and Renney will get a lot more out of any of those three left here come training camp.

with a new coaching staff, we have no idea what to expect from Nillson, O’Sullivan, or Penner for that matter. I’m expecting that Quinn and Renney will get a lot more out of any of those three left here come training camp.

I agree with you. I think Penner and Nilsson could do nothing right last year, and they are both very young and when you get told you are a piece of crap enough by your coach I think you begin to believe it and think: "what's the point"

Dale Carnegie was a pretty smart man and he established a list of human relations principles which were designed to get the most out of people. Here are some of them:

Rule number 1. Don't criticize condemn or complain.

Rule number 23. Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly.

Rule number 26. Let the other person save face.

Rule number 28. Give the other person a fine reputaiton to live up to.

Above is just a few examples. MacTavish seemed to violate almost every human relations principle in the book when dealing with Penner and Nilsson. It is no surprise to me that their production sucked.

Motivating people isn't always about being a hardass. You can be firm and fair and have clear expectations without being a jerk.

Penner showed signs of what he is capable of last year. It's not like he is playing with Getzlaf and Perry anymore. If he comes to camp motivated and nobody shows him where the buffet table is, I think he is capable of 25-30 goals again.

Just read an article by Ken Warren of the Ottawa citizen about the rumours of Heatley and the trade possibilities.

In that article he never even mentions Gilbert. He actually discusses Penner and O'Sullivan. Could you guys imagine how amazing that would be? I like Penner, I think he got a bum deal under MacT. BUT STILL! Hey Murray, I've got these magic beans, I'll trade them for that 50 goal scorer you've got. The Oilers would trim fat from the roster AND still have a PMD to shop around to fill other holes on the club.

Back to reality. Obviously that kind of crazy talk is what lands a guy a job at the Ottawa citizen and not the GM position of an NHL club, but I will continue to dream.

I dont know about Nilsson, I'm not sold on him being able to become a 50-60 point guy like most of us think(hope) he can be. He's very weak and lazy and seems to think the puck is just gonna land on his stick every shift. I think the sooner he's gone the better. But with Penner and O'Sully I have a better feeling about them, I think they will have a much better season 2010.

Okay so here is my pipe dream and first kick at the can on this armchair GM thing.

Heatley for J.Willis' Gilbert/Cogliano/Eberle combo

Pursue Bouwmeester aggressively. Possibly offer up some Oilers or AHL players or mix of spare parts (Schremp and Pouliot?) to FLA for the rights to J-Bo since they know they aren't getting him back come July 1. Offer and sign Bouwmeester to a $6ish million a year for several years front loaded. Some bonus money if he meets some preset goals. (Honestly I really don't know what his worth is or what he is asking, I am just guessing here)
Seeing as J-Bo is allegedly building a house here in EDM and his parents are here there is at least a reasonable chance that he would consider donning copper and blue.

Now at the same time you ask Souray if he would wave his NTC to go to the Sunshine State. As far as the available intel and rumours say he wants to be there anyways, especially since he expressed that he doesn't like not seeing his daughters. Based on that Souray just might agree. Call up LA and offer Souray for their 5th draft pick (which is possibly Evander Kane or Brayden Schenn) and whatever other picks or prospects they add to the mix, even if undervalued slightly to Souray's net worth. Items that don't cost much in the way of cap space as Souray's salary is basically now going to J-Bo. LA has the cap space, the money and the desire to rebuild. I doubt they would say no to getting a proven Top 2 D-man for picks/prospects especially if they feel they are getting the better of the deal.

I for one just don't like the moving of Eberle, the guy grew up idolizing the Oil. I know it's a business and all but what a kick in the groin that'd be.
Almost like watching your favorite team miss the playoffs by a slim margin for the last two years....damn, i just made myself sad...

I used to put a lot of stock in that "grew up cheering for the Oilers" line; then the Oilers acquired Mike Comrie and Joffrey Lupul, and I'm now convinced that nobody who ever considered cheering for the team should ever be allowed to play for them ;)

Dale Carnegie was a pretty smart man and he established a list of human relations principles which were designed to get the most out of people. Here are some of them:

Best quote ever. Carnegie is a genius and his books are excellent reads.

@ Tackleberry:

Getting the 5th pick overall for Souray is not undervaluing Souray. I doubt the Kings would do that. Souray has at the most four really good years left, a top five pick normally turns out 10-12 solid years, and some of them can be exceptional years.

And right now there are many in the organization who wonder if Harding is any better than JDD. JDD has had to deal with lots of adversity so far in his pro career, and he is now mentally stronger for it. They liked how he played last year, and don't forget it was MacTavish who didn't play him at all down the stretch.

He needs a chance to prove he can play, and so does Harding, but I sense the Oilers might just stick with Deslauriers and see what he can do.

@ Tackleberry:
Interesting thoughts... I am not sure about Souray for a fifth (a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush), but it is a deep draft year so hopefully we get something better than a Brule or a Bonsignore.

I dont think we have to worry about goaltending...there is like 10 decent options available and only a few teams looking. Who other the the Oilers really arent settled on a starter now? I think we finally see salaries come down especially for goalies because the demand just isnt there.

@ Lofty:
That doesn't make any sense - let's say I have a bowl of fruit. The apples, bananas and pears are bad, but there are some cantaloupes that are ok. Why would I getr rid of the cantaloupes and bring in another melon to go with the bad fruit?

On the other hand, if you think you still have some fruit you can work with but your melon is bad, you get yourself a new melon, and see how it looks with your other fruit.

That doesn’t make any sense - let’s say I have a bowl of fruit. The apples, bananas and pears are bad, but there are some cantaloupes that are ok. Why would I getr rid of the cantaloupes and bring in another melon to go with the bad fruit?
On the other hand, if you think you still have some fruit you can work with but your melon is bad, you get yourself a new melon, and see how it looks with your other fruit.
I hope this has cleared things up.

Where did this fruit talk come from...

You get a new owner, new GM, as well as fans loosing their minds over the last 2 seasons so naturaly you get a new coach. Most knowledgable hockey fans know that MacT is a good coach that had to go because things wernt working as a whole for the organization (bad farm, bad managment of contracts, no playoffs.)

You want to tell me that MacT is the soul reason that Nilson has been a no-show?

I'll tell ya where to stick that Banana... its the same place you got your head... not really just the fruit thing was bit much.

I don't think that MacT is a bad coach - I think the players here had tuned him out. A new face and coaching staff often gets different results from the same group of players. There's no reason that we should assume we'll get the same Nillson, the same O'Sullivan and the same Penner with the new staff.

Gregor is saying that katz will do pretty much anything to get heatly.

That kind of scares me. Thats kind of like advertizing how much money you have to a car salesman. Bad move. Even if he will do almost anything to get Heatley, i would prefer it if news was coming out that Tambi + Katz were playing hard ball.

@ Dave:
I just dont want the Oilers to do what the Islanders did to get Yashin. Not that Heatley is Yashin, but still. Things of value need to be given up, no doubt, but doing almost anything to get the deal done leaves room for a little concern.

I linked to his site because I thought he would have his interview with Dreger up there..but I can’t find it…WTF…Gregor how come no clips from him or the coaches yesterday…

Dave, (thanks for clarifying you weren't trying to be me) and you are bang on we should have the clips up...Fraser will get 20 lashes for not posting them..although his computer crashed today, so he was freaking out...haha

I have a post on Katz coming out later tonight...

Archaeology... it isn't that Katz will sell the farm to get Heatley, but he is willing to do....article coming.

Hello everyone!
This morning I have found a very funny cartoon about the office workers everyday life.
I recommend this for all to elevate your mood.
I helped))
You can watch this toon <a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neFYTsNFzmc
here